35 Entanglement
◎Thoughts that cannot be seen in public.◎
Emperor Mingde has been very happy recently.
After reading the two memorials submitted by Prince Zhao, Qi'an had recently been absorbed in government affairs. Several officials in the Secretariat praised Prince Zhao's diligence and eagerness to learn. While he still wasn't as steady and capable as the Crown Prince, such progress in just half a year at court was truly remarkable. Qi'an had often offered unique insights, especially within the Ministry of War.
As a father, Emperor Mingde couldn't help but feel relieved that the child was not trapped by love. It was never Qi'an's nature to be depressed and unable to recover.
He summoned the official who had drafted the imperial edict and said, "I will issue an order. Three days from now, I will pray at the altar for the autumn harvest. I will have Prince Zhao go on my behalf."
"I obey your order."
Emperor Mingde reviewed the memorial from the Secretariat and decided that the Altar of Grain and Rice was not far from the Imperial Palace. Firstly, this allowed Qi'an to relax and unwind, allowing him to forget the events of the capital. Secondly, the Turkic envoys were about to leave the court, and the Jin Dynasty would host a state banquet in their honor, so it would be best for Qi'an to avoid them.
Emperor Mingde issued the order at 9:00 PM, and the decree was passed to the Secretariat in the afternoon.
Lu Jing calmly accepted the order and continued reading the document in his hand.
Although they were in the same Secretariat, he seldom saw Yuan Le, and it was not like in Prince Zhao's Palace where the two of them could talk and spend time together alone.
He knew that Yuan Le was on duty as usual and got along well with his colleagues. His absence from Prince Zhao's Mansion had not affected him in the slightest.
He was left tossing and turning in restlessness.
It was fine when he was busy with work, but when he was free, he always thought of him involuntarily.
Sometimes he was able to deceive himself. He restrained himself from seeing him, always feeling that after getting through this period, they would be able to get along like before.
But sometimes, he just had to let his thoughts run wild.
The official documents piled on the desk were written in elegant and beautiful handwriting. The earliest one was signed three years ago, and they were all written by the same person.
All the official affairs Yuan Le has handled since joining the Ministry of Works are archived here.
Seeing Yuan Le's letter was like seeing him in person. Lu Jing could imagine how dedicated and diligent Yuan Le had been at the Ministry of Works during his three years away from Kyoto. His progress was easily discernible from his handwritten letter after letter.
"Your Highness has been tired for half a day. Why not take a rest?"
Sun Jing went in to tidy up the desk for His Royal Highness Prince Zhao. On top of the desk was a list of the night duty officials from the six ministries.
Lu Jing said, "Have your family pack their bags. I will go to the Altar of Grain and Earth tomorrow to fast and clear my mind."
"Yes, Your Highness."
…
The moon was high in the sky, and Gu Ningxi extinguished the candle in the duty room.
The six ministries of the imperial court, which were bustling during the day, now only have a few people left.
As the government became increasingly busy and people were afraid that something might happen at night, the court arranged for officials to take turns on night shifts.
There were many officials in the six ministries, and Gu Ningxi's shifts were infrequent. Furthermore, the Crown Prince's Palace had a system of amnesty for officials, so except for those in the Secretariat, all other officials only needed to work until midnight, eliminating the need to spend the entire night in the duty room and delaying their next shift.
The palace road was deserted. Gu Ningxi yawned and walked to the palace gate to look for his carriage.
She heard a noise behind her and looked back to see a familiar carriage.
Your Majesty has granted His Royal Highness Prince Zhao unimpeded access to the palace, and the Crown Prince and Prince Huai also have this honor.
"Your Highness," Gu Ningxi greeted him with a smile, "How come Your Highness left later than me?"
"I was just delayed by something." Lu Jing let himself look at him. He thought to himself that he would be away for a few days, so it should be okay to see him.
"Come up," he said, "to have some midnight snack?"
"Okay." Gu Ningxi nodded in agreement. Although she was tired and just wanted to go home and rest as soon as possible, she did not show it on her face.
She was also worried that His Royal Highness Prince Zhao had been in a bad mood recently, and probably wanted to find someone to keep him company.
A curfew has been imposed in the city, but the court has granted permission for night markets to be opened in Pingkang, Changle and Yongyang districts.
"Where do you want to go?" Lu Jing asked.
Gu Ningxi thought for a moment and asked, "The one at the end of Changle Street?"
"Yeah, okay."
The carriage rolled over the bluestone slabs. Yuelaiju at the end of the alley was a small restaurant.
There were not many customers in the restaurant. The two of them found a seat in the corner and sat down. They simply ordered three or five dishes and did not order any wine.
Gu Ningxi was also hungry at this time. They had been to this small restaurant several times before.
Because he had been the legitimate son of a marquis since childhood, Gu Ningxi had no restrictions on travel.
"Your Highness," Gu Ningxi said after careful consideration, "Have you been troubled by mundane matters lately?"
Given the relationship between the two of them, Gu Ningxi felt that it was okay to ask.
She had indeed never seen His Royal Highness Prince Zhao look so sad.
Was it a dispute over the succession? Gu Ningxi hesitated to ask because she was worried about it. But from what she had seen, it seemed that the brothers had not yet reached that stage.
The moonlight from outside the window seeped in faintly, outlining the delicate jade-like face of the person in front of him.
Seeing that he still looked unaware, with genuine concern and confusion in his eyes, Lu Jing sighed and laughed at himself in his heart.
It’s better not to know, this is what he has been thinking about but never let it be seen in public.
In fact, he never thought that one day he would end up in such a situation.
"Your Highness?"
"There is a dilemma," Lu Jing finally said with a smile, "I will make it pass. Don't worry."
…
The sky was high and the clouds were light, the temperature was just right, and the banquet outside Ganlu Palace was quite grand.
All civil and military officials were present. This move was not only to show how much importance was attached to Shili Khan of the Turks, but also to demonstrate the ambition of the Jin Dynasty to unify the country, so it had been prepared for a long time.
Shili Khan was one of the three minor khans of the Turkic people, in charge of the western territories. He was the first of the Turkic envoys to the court.
Unlike ordinary banquets with singing and dancing, the banquet started at twilight hour, and a martial arts arena was built in the center.
The Turks were a martial people, their cavalry roaming the Central Plains. The Turkic envoys intended to have a brief exchange of ideas with the Jin generals, but only to the point of brief discussion.
The Jin dynasty had no reason to refuse. Instead of singing and dancing, a martial arts performance replaced the occasional singing and dancing. Each side selected a fighter to fight, and the contest lasted seven rounds.
Gu Ningxi saw that not many generals from Prince Zhao's Palace went into battle, while Marquis Wu'an and Prince Zhen were just sitting at the table.
The reason is simple. The competition was arranged by His Royal Highness Prince Huai, and he was also the one who decided the selection of the generals of the Jin Dynasty.
In the past, the Jin Dynasty was a vassal of the Turks, but Shili Khan was only seated in the first seat on the right, below the crown prince on the left.
The second seat on the left is empty. His Royal Highness Prince Zhao was offering sacrifices at the Altar of Grain and Earth yesterday and was unable to return in time.
It was the first time that Gu Ningxi met Shili Khan. After seeing his face clearly, he felt a sudden headache.
As the sky gradually darkened, the lights in front of Ganlu Palace were brightly lit, illuminating the two people who were competing fiercely in the field.
"Master Gu, please."
The person sitting next to him offered Gu Ningxi a glass of wine: "Master Gu doesn't look well, but have you been a little tired recently?"
"Not really." Gu Ningxi smiled and clinked glasses with him. "I'm just worried about the competition."
The general of the Jin Dynasty was defeated in the first round and seemed to be at a disadvantage in the second round as well.
As fellow citizens of the Great Jin, they naturally hope to be proud of themselves.
Gu Ningxi drank the wine in the glass and suppressed the unreasonable uneasiness in his heart.
At the first table on the right, Prince Huai Lu Chen ordered his maid to pour wine with an unhappy look on his face.
His displeasure was not only due to his defeat in the competition, but also due to the recent developments in the court.
He spent half a month mediating with the Turkic barbarians, reducing the annual tribute to the Turks to 50% of previous years. This was clearly a meritorious achievement, but those in the court thought of King Zhao, saying that it was because his highness had cleared the Central Plains that the Jin Dynasty had more confidence in negotiating with the Turks.
Lu Chen was immediately furious upon hearing this. The Turks were insatiable and he had worked so hard to keep them from collapsing in the peace talks. He couldn't let the peace talks break down, nor could he lose the dignity of the Central Plains. It was no easy task.
He worked tirelessly for over a month, but for no reason he let King Zhao share the spotlight with him.
As for King Zhao's military achievements, even though he was good at commanding troops, such achievements were just the result of the times creating heroes, and it just so happened that destiny fell on him.
If he had not mobilized the entire country, could he have easily destroyed Zheng and Xia?
Unfortunately, the world only sees his achievements on the surface, and is completely unaware of the difficulties his brother and he faced in Kyoto. When King Zhao was away on the battlefield, it was his brother who arranged the money and food and raised military funds, allowing him to have no worries at all.
King Zhao was famous throughout the world, and all the glory was his own. How could he be convinced?
The delicacies on the table were not much touched. After six rounds of martial arts performance, Da Jin lost four and won two. There was no need to continue the competition in the last round.
Shili Khan's face was filled with pride, and he laughed loudly, saying, "I have learned a lot today."
Gu Ningxi sat in the middle of the table. He only drank two glasses of wine tonight out of courtesy. The wine was not strong, but he had a severe headache.
The lights were dazzling, and Gu Ningxi closed her eyes. Half drunk and half awake, a completely different scene emerged in her mind.
Shili Khan's words were still impudent and frivolous: "The Empress has been a widow for three years, and I have just lost my Khatun. Why don't you and I form a perfect marriage and bring happiness to each other?"
All the civil and military officials were stunned. The Turks were proud of their elite soldiers and generals, and the Turkic Khan spoke frivolously and asked to marry Emperor Wen's widow in public. This was a great shame and humiliation for the Central Plains.
Everyone's eyes turned to the elegantly dressed woman in the honored seat. Despite this humiliation, she remained calm and composed: "The fine wine of the Central Plains is intoxicating. Khan, please do not drink too much."
At that moment, Gu Ningxi seemed to be able to read her thoughts. The internal strife in the royal family of the Great Jin Dynasty had just been settled, and the national strength was severely depleted. It was not appropriate to make enemies with the Turks for the time being.
The wine in the silver cup swayed slightly, and scenes flashed through his mind like jumping. Gu Ningxi felt a splitting headache.
She pressed two fingers against Dangyangxue, and after a while she recovered her strength. She left the table on the grounds that she was drunk.
Naturally, no one would notice her, as she was just a sixth-rank civil servant.
The seat of King Zhao Lu Jing, second from the left in the center of the hall, remained empty.
He did not attend the banquet today.
…
After returning to the Xuanping Marquis Mansion from the palace, Gu Ningxi slept until dusk the next day.
When she woke up, she saw Yinlan's worried eyes beside the bed: "My lord has finally woken up. Madam has sent the maid to ask about it several times."
Gu Ningxi's head still hurt, and she felt tired after sleeping for too long.
Fortunately, today is a day off and there is no need to go out.
Yin Lan helped her change her clothes and said, "Madam has sent for Doctor Li. Would you like him to take a look?"
Gu Ningxi was silent for a while, piecing together his fragmented memories of yesterday's banquet.
She said, "Tell mother I just drank too much, nothing serious."
"Yes, sir."
Yinlan ordered the maid to fetch water for the master to wash, and today's dinner was also light.
Gu Ningxi drank lotus seed porridge and said, "I slept all day. Did anything happen outside?"
She had only casually asked, but unexpectedly, the servant in charge of shopping at the Yueyou Courtyard hurriedly replied, "My lord, the Khan of the Turks has been injured and needs to stay in the capital for a while to recuperate. I'm afraid he can't leave for the time being."
"What's going on?" Gu Ningxi paused while drinking his porridge.
The news spread throughout the capital, and almost everyone, from the wealthy families to the common people, was talking about it.
The servant heard from others, "I heard that the Turkic Khan was provoking the royal family, boasting about the Turkic victory in the martial arts competition between the Turks and the Jin at yesterday's banquet."
"Who did he provoke?"
…
In Taiji Palace, the imperial physician was applying medicine to His Royal Highness Prince Zhao.
Emperor Mingde shook his head again and again: "You are too reckless."
Lu Jing remained silent while the imperial physician bandaged the wound on his right hand.
As for Shili Khan, he couldn't get off the bed at the moment.
Emperor Mingde had already ordered the delivery of medicinal herbs, making a superficial effort. The Turkic delegation included doctors, so they naturally wouldn't trust doctors from the Central Plains.
"Why are you so ruthless?" Emperor Mingde knew that Qi'an had just returned to Kyoto at midnight yesterday and encountered this incident when he woke up in the morning.
He struck so hard that he even hurt his own hand.
Lu Jing said succinctly: "I don't like him very much."
Emperor Mingde was puzzled: "You two have no intersection, and this is the first time you run into each other?" He clearly wanted Qi'an to stop interfering in the affairs of the Turks, but he didn't expect that he couldn't avoid it.
"Yes." Lu Jing admitted frankly, but whenever he saw Shili Khan's face, he would feel a surge of anger in his heart.
Since the other party was eager to offer him the opportunity, why wouldn't he help him?
Emperor Mingde looked at the wound on his hand and found it was not serious and would be healed in a few days.
Qi'an was inappropriate in this matter, and Emperor Mingde had to issue an imperial decree to punish him for the sake of the overall situation, but he was happy at first.
Emperor Mingde, as the ruler of the Jin Dynasty, had been a vassal of the Turks for many years and allowed the Turkic Khan to dominate him. How could he remain calm as he was the ruler of the Jin Dynasty?
Coupled with the insolence of the Turks at yesterday's banquet, it can be said that new grudges and old scores are being settled together.
It is also time to let the Turks know that today is different from the past.
Besides, it was Shili Khan himself who proposed the duel. He was quite conceited and said there was no need to hold back and not to care about injuries.
Now he has to bear the consequences of his own actions and has to bear the consequences alone.
But Emperor Mingde was the ruler of a nation, and he had to consider more. The diplomatic relations between the two countries were interconnected, and no action could be taken rashly. If war were to ignite, the people would suffer.
"You can lead the army to war, but you have to think more about the people of Dajin."
Lu Jing was not someone who did not know the seriousness of the matter. After the imperial physician left, he submitted a secret report.
Emperor Mingde read the letter doubtfully, then came to his senses after a moment: "You mean—"
He read it a second time.
Lu Jing moved his bandaged hand, thinking of Shili Khan's words and actions, and suddenly felt that he had been too gentle just now.
【Author’s words】
Come on, come on, I added an extra paragraph so it’s late~
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